House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Next week, I will be introducing legislation to put photo speed enforcement cameras along U.S. 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) from the Bucks County line to I-76. There have been many fatalities along this section of Roosevelt Boulevard as a result of excessive speeding. I introduced HB 2233 last session which was similar. This iteration though contains new language as a result of a public hearing the House Transportation Committee conducted in Philadelphia in 2016.

A study by the International Cochrane Collaboration found that photo radar devices reduce all speed related crashes by as much as 25 percent. For crashes involving fatalities, photo radar drops that statistic by as much as 44 percent.

This legislation would place photo speed enforcement cameras on U.S Route 1 in Philadelphia from the Bucks County Line to I-76. This would restrict the installation of speed enforcement cameras only to this defined area. Philadelphia Parking Authority would choose to manage the cameras and hire a contractor to manage the cameras and the enforcement program. Before the cameras could be used, PennDOT would need to approve the cameras and appropriate signs would need to be placed on U.S. 1 alerting drivers to the use of photo speed enforcement devices.

A person who violates the speed limit and is recorded by a photo speed enforcement device shall pay a maximum fine of $150. No points shall be assessed for this violation and no tickets will be issued if someone is going less than 11 miles per hour in excess of the legal speed limit.

Privacy of these images is important and strong under the legislation. Law enforcement may only access the photo images if they are conducting a criminal investigation. Recorded images shall be destroyed within one year of final disposition of a recorded event. The legislation also includes several valid defenses to violations including:

1. The person named in the notice of the violation was not operating the vehicle at the time of the violation and the owner submits evidence that he or she was not the driver at the time and discloses the identity of the driver.

2. The vehicle was reported to a police department as stolen prior to the time the violation occurred.

3. The person receiving the notice of the violation was not the owner of the vehicle at the time.

4. The device was not in compliance with standard speed timing accuracy, calibration certification.